Time-based device interfaces

ABSTRACT

A user interface on a computing device can utilize a calendar bar with various portions of the interface, such as a lock screen and home or application screens. The calendar bar can enable the user to view upcoming appointments and determine how much the user has before those appointments. The user can tilt the device or select an appointment to obtain additional information. If the device is unlocked or otherwise accessible, the user can also navigate back and forth between a calendar display and other information, such as past or present actions with respect to the device, and can scroll back in forth in time using any of these displayed portions.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/414,974, filed Mar. 8, 2012, the content of which is incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND

People are increasingly relying on computers and other electronicdevices to manage various types of content and information. For example,users are increasing utilizing portable computing devices such as smartphones and tablet computers to manage their upcoming appointments,contact lists, and pending tasks. In many cases, a computing device willrequire a user to unlock the device and navigate to an application thatthe user can open to view certain types of data, such as the user'sschedule for the day. Such an approach can be at least inconvenient fora busy user who must continually perform these steps to determineupcoming events. Further, the content managed by the device is often notcorrelated or accessible in a way that is useful to the user, as a useroften has to open and navigate between multiple applications tocorrelate various dates, times, and action items or event occurrences.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure will bedescribed with reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a user viewing content on a computing device inaccordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 2 illustrates a first example display that can be provided on acomputing device in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example interface layout that can be utilized inaccordance with various embodiments;

FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) illustrate example interface displays that can beaccessed using a layout such as that presented in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 illustrates functionality of an example interface that canrendered on a computing device in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 6 illustrates an example process for providing a time-basedinterface that can be utilized in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 7 illustrates an example computing device that can be used inaccordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 8 illustrates an example configuration of components of a computingdevice such as that illustrated in FIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 illustrates an example environment in which aspects of thevarious embodiments can be implemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Systems and methods in accordance with various embodiments of thepresent disclosure may overcome one or more of the aforementioned andother deficiencies experienced in conventional approaches to enabling auser to access information on an electronic device. In particular,various embodiments provide a time-based interface that enables a userto view information about upcoming appointments from various screens ofa computing device, even when the user has not unlocked the device.Further, the user can navigate forwards or backwards in time in order todetermine actions or events that occurred in the past or may happen inthe future. Various other applications, processes and uses are presentedbelow with respect to the various embodiments.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example situation 100 wherein a user 102 isviewing content rendered on a display screen 106 of a computing device104. Although a portable computing device (e.g., a smart phone, ane-book reader, or tablet computer) is shown, it should be understoodthat various other types of electronic device that are capable ofdetermining and processing input can be used in accordance with variousembodiments discussed herein. These devices can include, for example,notebook computers, personal data assistants, video gaming consoles orcontrollers, and portable media players, among others. The computingdevice can include at least one camera 108 positioned on the device suchthat the camera is able to capture at least a portion of the user 102when the user is within a field of view 110 of the camera 108. Thecamera can be configured such that the field of view will typicallyinclude the user when the user is viewing content displayed on thedisplay screen. The image information is capable of being used by thedevice to determine a relative position of the user, which can be usedfor various purposes as discussed later herein.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example state 200 of a computing device 202 thatcan be presented in accordance with various embodiments. In thisexample, the device is presenting on a display screen 204 an interfaceview of a type that is often referred to as a “lock screen.” A “lockscreen” as used in the art refers to a set of information that isdisplayed when a device is picked up, taken out of standby mode, orotherwise activated by a user action, but the user has not yet“unlocked” the device such that information and functionality of thedevice can be accessed. The type of information displayed on a lockscreen is typically fixed, as may include the date and time, andpotentially the number of messages received since the user last accessedthe device. In order to access more functionality or information theuser must unlock the device, which typically includes at least providingan input to unlock the device, such as by swiping a graphical element,providing biometric identification, or entering a password, among othersuch actions. A user might use biometrics, passwords, or other securitymeasures to prevent unauthorized use of the device, but such mechanismsalso mean that the user must provide this security information inconventional approaches in order to obtain certain types of information.

Systems and methods in accordance with various embodiments enable theuser to obtain information about the user's schedule from the lockscreen, without having to perform the action(s) necessary to unlock thedevice. In the example of FIG. 2, the lock screen displays certain typesof information that are often displayed on a lock screen, such as thedate and time 208 and a number of new messages 208 of one or more types.In addition, the lock screen also displays a calendar bar 214 thatenables the user to view the timing of upcoming appointments, tasks, orother scheduled events or actions. In this example interface, a pointer218 (or other such marker) is provided that indicates where along thecalendar or time bar the user is currently located, which in thisexample corresponds to the time 208 displayed adjacent the pointer. Thecalendar bar 214 is configured to automatically scroll as time passes,such that the pointer points to the current time on the calendar bar,and as appointments approach in time a display element for each of thoseappointments will approach the current pointer. For example, thecalendar includes an entry 216 that is illustrated by a different color,shading, or other such aspect. As the appointment approaches in time,that entry information will scroll up the screen towards the pointer.The calendar bar also includes markings at regular intervals, such asevery hour or every half hour, so the user can have some idea of theamount of time the user has before the next appointment, until the endof a current appointment, etc. In some embodiments, the user can havethe ability to scroll the bar in either direction to determineinformation such as the number of upcoming appointments, length ofupcoming appointments, and other such information.

In many situations, the user would like to also get an idea of what theupcoming appointment is, such that the user knows how far ahead toleave, what to prepare, etc. In various embodiments, the user is able toselect the appointment 216 from the calendar bar 214 to get additionalinformation. In this example, the user is able to obtain at least someinformation 210 about the upcoming appointment without unlocking thedevice. In some embodiments, the information can automatically bedisplayed when the appointment is approaching and the user is beingreminded about the appointment. In at least some embodiments, the devicecan also determine when the user should leave for the appointment, suchas may be based upon the current location and/or activity of the user,and can provide such information 212 on the lock screen along with theinformation 210 about the appointment. In at least some embodiments thereminder can be accompanied by another notification as well, such as anaudible tone or tactile feedback, in order to draw the user's attentionto the reminder. In at least some embodiments, the lock screen can alsobe automatically displayed (i.e., the display screen woken from astandby or sleep state) with such a reminder, whereby the user can viewthe information without having to manually wake the device.

In many instances the user will want to unlock the device to have accessto additional information and/or functionality. The user can use anyappropriate unlock action discussed herein or otherwise utilized forsuch purposes. Upon the device being unlocked, the device can display aportion of the interface of a type often referred to as a “home screen”or “home page.” The home screen can be somewhat similar to the lockscreen, in that specific types of information can be provided to theuser, although the home screen is typically more customizable than thelock screen. FIG. 3 illustrates an example interface layout 300 that canbe used in accordance with various embodiments. In this example, thehome screen is shown to be displayed on the display screen of thecomputing device 302. The portions of the interface shown outside thecomputing device refer to portions of the interface that are notinitially displayed but can be navigated to by the user, such as byperforming a swipe action on the display screen or with a detectablegesture. The user can thus use the display screen as a window that canbe maneuvered over the interface layout.

As illustrated, the interface is arranged by time, with information forevents or actions that happened in the past being displayed towards thetop of the figure, such that the user can navigate “up” in the interfaceto view past information. Information for events around the current timeare displayed on the home screen, such as may include the current time304, a pointer 316 for the current time on the calendar bar, andinformation for an upcoming appointment 306. Towards the top of the homescreen is also information about recent, current, or pending messages,or other such information. As can be seen, the calendar bar of the homescreen is actually a displayed portion of the user's calendar 310. Ifthe user wants to get information about an event in the calendar bar,for example, the user can swipe the home screen to the left in thisexample to cause the calendar to be moved to the left (or the virtualwindow of the device effectively moved to the right over the layout)such that the relevant portion of the calendar can be displayed. In thisexample the user can swipe the interface to the left in order to viewthe upcoming appointment 308 on the user's calendar. The user can alsoswipe the calendar up and down in order to view upcoming appointments orappointments that occurred in the past.

Such an approach can help a user to obtain additional informationassociated with a point in time. For example, the portion 312 of theinterface above the current time shows information about appointments,actions, or events that occurred in the past. For example, the user canview when certain messages were received, when the user was at certainlocations, when the user was with other users, and other suchinformation. The user can swipe or scroll up to this informationdirectly from the home screen, similar to the approach described for thecalendar 310. The user can also have the ability to scroll up on thecalendar to see a past event, such as when the user met with George onthe calendar, and then can swipe over to the left to see what eventsoccurred when the user was with George. In this case, the user sent amessage to Erica, which the user can locate through the association ofthat message to the user being with George at the time. Such an approachenables a user to search for information based not only on time but alsowhere the user was, who the user was with, or other such information.Similarly, the user could scroll up to locate a specific action thatoccurred in the past, and then can scroll over to the right to determinewhere the user was when that action occurred based on what is in theuser's calendar. Various ways of associating data by time can be usedwith such an interface, such as are described in co-pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/950,896, filed Nov. 19, 2010, and entitled“Multi-Dimensional Data Association,” which is hereby incorporated byreference herein.

In this example, the information below the default home screen portionof the interface relates to things that may occur in the future. Forexample, the relevant portion of the calendar 310 shows information forupcoming appointments or events. On the left portion of the layout belowthe current time, information for things the user can do (or “future”actions) can be displayed. In this example, various icons or tiles 314are displayed that represent applications or widgets the user can accessin the future, actions the user can take, or other such information. Forexample, if the user often accesses the Internet then a tile for a Webbrowser might be near the top of the group of tiles. Similarly, if theuser typically calls his or her mother around this time, a tile that theuser can select to dial his or her mother can move towards the top ofthe tile array. Various other types of information can be displayed aswell as should be apparent in light of the teachings and suggestionscontained herein.

FIG. 4(a) illustrates a view 400 of the example interface layout whenthe user swipes the home screen to the left, such that the correspondingportion of the calendar is displayed. Similarly, FIG. 4(b) illustrates aview 420 of the interface layout when the user swipes the home screen upto view actions that the user can take in the future. The selection,type, and amount of information displayed can vary by device, user, orother such aspects, and in many embodiments can be at least partiallyconfigurable by the user. In some embodiments, the user can also havethe option to zoom in and out with respect to the interface layout inorder to obtain a more or less detailed view, more or less information,etc.

As mentioned above, a computing device can determine a relative positionof the user using a camera or other such sensor. By knowing the relativelocation of the user, the device can also enable additional informationto be obtained through changes in orientation of the device. Forexample, the device can determine that the user is substantially infront of the device using captured image information. Using the imageinformation and/or information from an orientation-determining elementsuch as an electronic gyroscope or compass, the device can determinewhen the user tilts the device with respect to the user. Without knowingthe relative location of the user from the image information, the devicewould be unable to tell from a gyroscope signal whether the viewingangle of the user changed or if the user rotated with the device. Asillustrated in FIG. 5, when the device determines that the user hastilted the device so as to change the viewing angle, the device canprovide a three-dimensional type display adjustment 500 wherein theinformation 504 “under” the home screen 502 can be viewed. For example,if the user wants information about an entry on the calendar bar, theuser can tilt the device to cause more of the “lower” layer calendar barto be displayed, such that additional information can be obtainedwithout having to select a specific entry or unlock the device, althoughsuch functionality can be used with a home screen or other interfaceportion as well within the scope of the various embodiments. Approachesfor determining changes in the relative orientation of a user based onimage and/or sensor data are provided in co-pending application Ser. No.12/950,896, incorporated by reference above.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example process 600 for providing a time-basedinterface that can be utilized in accordance with various embodiments.It should be understood that, for any process discussed herein, therecan be additional, fewer, or alternative steps performed in similar oralternative orders, or in parallel, within the scope of the variousembodiments unless otherwise stated. In this example, a computing deviceis configured to monitor 602 for various types of actions with respectto the device and/or a user of the device. These actions can include,for example, appointments, tasks, calls, messages, activatingapplications, completing games, or any other type of action, event, oroccurrence that a user might want to later reference for any purpose.The device can store 604 (or cause to be stored) information for any orall of these events, with the information including time informationsuch as a time of occurrence, a period of occurrence, a time ofcompletion, or another such time. Other information such as location andtype of task can be stored as well as appropriate. The data can also bestored in a way that enables the data to be associated across variousdimensions, such as is described in co-pending application Ser. No.12/950,896, incorporated by reference above.

The computing device can receive 606 input to activate a lock screen onthe device. The input can be any appropriate input that can “wake up” orchange the device from a standby mode, for example, as may includepicking up the device, touching the device, performing a wake gesture,and the like. Methods for triggering a lock screen display are wellknown in the art and as such will not be discussed in detail herein.When rendering the lock screen, the device in this example will display608 a certain amount of basic information, such as the current date andtime, and will also display a calendar bar along a side or edge of thescreen. The calendar bar can indicate upcoming appointments or times ofavailability, such as by showing colored blocks or other graphicalindicators as discussed herein and as known for electronic calendarapplications. As discussed, the calendar bar can update over time suchthat upcoming information for the current time is displayed, although inat least some embodiments a user can have the ability to scroll thecalendar bar to obtain information for different times. If a selectionof a specific time entry is received 610, at least some information forthat entry can be displayed. In some embodiments, the type or amount ofinformation can be limited on the lock screen in order to preserveconfidentiality, protect sensitive information, etc. As discussed, otherinformation can be displayed as well, such as reminders of when to leavefor the selected entry (or another upcoming entry, as may be displayedautomatically as discussed herein).

When the lock screen is displayed (or at other appropriate times ordevice states for various embodiments), the device can receive 614 inputto unlock the device. As discussed, this can include any appropriateinput for unlocking the device, such as providing biometric informationor a password, or selecting an unlock option on the device. If theunlock input is determined 616 to be valid, a home screen (or other suchinterface portion) can be displayed 618 on the device, which includesinformation for the current time, such as pending messages, the time anddate, and other such information, as well as a calendar bar as displayedon the home screen. In at least some embodiments, a representation ofthe calendar will always be available when the user is on the lockscreen or a home screen of the device. The device can enable 620 theuser to swipe (or otherwise navigate) up and down on the page to adjustthe time for the information displayed. As discussed, this can enablethe user to obtain information about actions that occurred in the past,or actions that can be taken or occur in the future. The device also canenable 622 the user to swipe (or otherwise navigate) right and left toobtain calendar information for the selected time period. The user canalso swipe up and down while viewing calendar information to adjust thetime period, and can go from a certain time period on the calendar toinformation for actions that occurred at that time by swiping right orleft again. It should be understood that up, down, right, and leftactions are merely examples, and that the calendar could be accessedwith an up and down motion, diagonal motion, back and forth motion, orother such action or input in accordance with the various embodiments.

An advantage of various embodiments is that at least a portion of thecalendar can always be viewable to the user whenever the user is on ahome screen, lock screen, or similar interface location. In someembodiments, the calendar bar can always be displayed independent ofwhat else is being displayed on the screen, such that the user can viewupcoming appointments even if playing a game or watching a movie. Insuch embodiments, the user can still tilt the device or select an entryto obtain more information, and can easily determine how much time theuser has for a current activity before an upcoming appointment, etc.

Another advantage of various embodiments is the ability to use swipenavigation to locate certain information. For example, a user might wantto determine what the user did for a spouse's birthday last year. Theuser can move to the calendar then scroll or otherwise navigate back tothe birthday last year, then can swipe or move over to an informationsection that can show information such as the restaurant where the userchecked in, which pictures were taken that day, who the user was with,and other such information. Similarly, if the user cannot remember thespouse's birthday, the user can scroll or navigate to the name of therestaurant where the user checked in, and then can navigate to thecalendar or other related information to see if that instancecorresponds with the birthday.

In some embodiments, a calendar bar can use different colors, shadings,graphics, animations, or other such aspects to differentiate differenttypes of appointments or actions, such as one color for workappointments, one color for personal appointments, etc. In someembodiments, the user will already utilize such approaches with theuser's calendar, and the customization of the calendar can automaticallybe reflected in the calendar bar, which shows a portion of the user'scalendar. In at least some embodiments, a user can install or utilize adifferent calendar application, and that calendar application can stillbe partially shown by the calendar bar. Various other options can beused as well within the scope of the various embodiments.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example computing device 700 that can be used inaccordance with various embodiments. In this example, the device has aconventional digital camera 704 on a same side of the device as adisplay screen 702, enabling the device to capture image informationabout a user of the device during typical operation where the user is atleast partially in front of the display screen. It should be understoodthat there can be additional cameras, sensors, or other such elements onthe same or other sides or locations of the device as well within thescope of the various embodiments, such as may enable gesture or imageinput from any desired direction or location with respect to the device.The device can also include additional elements that can be used toassist with image capture, including a light sensor for determining anamount of light in a general direction of an image to be captured and anillumination element, such as a white light emitting diode (LED) orinfrared (IR) emitter, for providing illumination in a particular rangeof directions when, for example, there is insufficient ambient lightdetermined by the light sensor. Various other elements and combinationsof elements can be used as well within the scope of the variousembodiments as should be apparent in light of the teachings andsuggestions contained herein. The device also includes at least onemotion sensor 706 operable to determine rotations and/or translations ofthe device, for use in point of view determinations as discussed herein.

In order to provide various functionality described herein, FIG. 8illustrates an example set of basic components of a computing device800, such as the device 700 described with respect to FIG. 7. In thisexample, the device includes at least one central processor 802 forexecuting instructions that can be stored in at least one memory deviceor element 804. As would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in theart, the device can include many types of memory, data storage orcomputer-readable storage media, such as a first data storage forprogram instructions for execution by the processor 802, the same orseparate storage can be used for images or data, a removable storagememory can be available for sharing information with other devices, etc.The device typically will include some type of display element 806, suchas a touch screen, electronic ink (e-ink), organic light emitting diode(OLED) or liquid crystal display (LCD), although devices such asportable media players might convey information via other means, such asthrough audio speakers. In at least some embodiments, the display screenprovides for touch or swipe-based input using, for example, capacitiveor resistive touch technology.

As discussed, the device in many embodiments will include at least oneimage capture element 808, such as one or more cameras that are able toimage a user, people, or objects in the vicinity of the device. An imagecapture element can include, or be based at least in part upon anyappropriate technology, such as a CCD or CMOS image capture elementhaving a determine resolution, focal range, viewable area, and capturerate. The device also includes at least one motion determining element810, such as an inertial sensor, accelerometer, electronic gyroscope, orelectronic compass operable to provide information about an orientationof the device, as well as information about rotations or translations ofthe device. The processor 802 can utilize information from the camerasand motion sensors to determine point of view changes in accordance withvarious embodiments.

The example device can include at least one additional input device 812able to receive conventional input from a user. This conventional inputcan include, for example, a push button, touch pad, touch screen, wheel,joystick, keyboard, mouse, trackball, keypad or any other such device orelement whereby a user can input a command to the device. These I/Odevices could even be connected by a wireless infrared or Bluetooth orother link as well in some embodiments. In some embodiments, however,such a device might not include any buttons at all and might becontrolled only through a combination of visual (e.g., gesture) andaudio (e.g., spoken) commands such that a user can control the devicewithout having to be in contact with the device.

As discussed, different approaches can be implemented in variousenvironments in accordance with the described embodiments. For example,FIG. 9 illustrates an example of an environment 900 for implementingaspects in accordance with various embodiments. As will be appreciated,although a Web-based environment is used for purposes of explanation,different environments may be used, as appropriate, to implement variousembodiments. The system includes an electronic client device 902, whichcan include any appropriate device operable to send and receiverequests, messages or information over an appropriate network 904 andconvey information back to a user of the device. Examples of such clientdevices include personal computers, cell phones, handheld messagingdevices, laptop computers, set-top boxes, personal data assistants,electronic book readers and the like. The network can include anyappropriate network, including an intranet, the Internet, a cellularnetwork, a local area network or any other such network or combinationthereof. Components used for such a system can depend at least in partupon the type of network and/or environment selected. Protocols andcomponents for communicating via such a network are well known and willnot be discussed herein in detail. Communication over the network can beenabled via wired or wireless connections and combinations thereof. Inthis example, the network includes the Internet, as the environmentincludes a Web server 906 for receiving requests and serving content inresponse thereto, although for other networks, an alternative deviceserving a similar purpose could be used, as would be apparent to one ofordinary skill in the art.

The illustrative environment includes at least one application server908 and a data store 910. It should be understood that there can beseveral application servers, layers or other elements, processes orcomponents, which may be chained or otherwise configured, which caninteract to perform tasks such as obtaining data from an appropriatedata store. As used herein, the term “data store” refers to any deviceor combination of devices capable of storing, accessing and retrievingdata, which may include any combination and number of data servers,databases, data storage devices and data storage media, in any standard,distributed or clustered environment. The application server 908 caninclude any appropriate hardware and software for integrating with thedata store 910 as needed to execute aspects of one or more applicationsfor the client device and handling a majority of the data access andbusiness logic for an application. The application server providesaccess control services in cooperation with the data store and is ableto generate content such as text, graphics, audio and/or video to betransferred to the user, which may be served to the user by the Webserver 906 in the form of HTML, XML or another appropriate structuredlanguage in this example. The handling of all requests and responses, aswell as the delivery of content between the client device 902 and theapplication server 908, can be handled by the Web server 906. It shouldbe understood that the Web and application servers are not required andare merely example components, as structured code discussed herein canbe executed on any appropriate device or host machine as discussedelsewhere herein.

The data store 910 can include several separate data tables, databasesor other data storage mechanisms and media for storing data relating toa particular aspect. For example, the data store illustrated includesmechanisms for storing content (e.g., production data) 912 and userinformation 916, which can be used to serve content for the productionside. The data store is also shown to include a mechanism for storinglog or session data 914. It should be understood that there can be manyother aspects that may need to be stored in the data store, such as pageimage information and access rights information, which can be stored inany of the above listed mechanisms as appropriate or in additionalmechanisms in the data store 910. The data store 910 is operable,through logic associated therewith, to receive instructions from theapplication server 908 and obtain, update or otherwise process data inresponse thereto. In one example, a user might submit a search requestfor a certain type of item. In this case, the data store might accessthe user information to verify the identity of the user and can accessthe catalog detail information to obtain information about items of thattype. The information can then be returned to the user, such as in aresults listing on a Web page that the user is able to view via abrowser on the user device 902. Information for a particular item ofinterest can be viewed in a dedicated page or window of the browser.

Each server typically will include an operating system that providesexecutable program instructions for the general administration andoperation of that server and typically will include computer-readablemedium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of theserver, allow the server to perform its intended functions. Suitableimplementations for the operating system and general functionality ofthe servers are known or commercially available and are readilyimplemented by persons having ordinary skill in the art, particularly inlight of the disclosure herein.

The environment in one embodiment is a distributed computing environmentutilizing several computer systems and components that areinterconnected via communication links, using one or more computernetworks or direct connections. However, it will be appreciated by thoseof ordinary skill in the art that such a system could operate equallywell in a system having fewer or a greater number of components than areillustrated in FIG. 9. Thus, the depiction of the system 900 in FIG. 9should be taken as being illustrative in nature and not limiting to thescope of the disclosure.

The various embodiments can be further implemented in a wide variety ofoperating environments, which in some cases can include one or more usercomputers or computing devices which can be used to operate any of anumber of applications. User or client devices can include any of anumber of general purpose personal computers, such as desktop or laptopcomputers running a standard operating system, as well as cellular,wireless and handheld devices running mobile software and capable ofsupporting a number of networking and messaging protocols. Such a systemcan also include a number of workstations running any of a variety ofcommercially-available operating systems and other known applicationsfor purposes such as development and database management. These devicescan also include other electronic devices, such as dummy terminals,thin-clients, gaming systems and other devices capable of communicatingvia a network.

Most embodiments utilize at least one network that would be familiar tothose skilled in the art for supporting communications using any of avariety of commercially-available protocols, such as TCP/IP, OSI, FTP,UPnP, NFS, CIFS and AppleTalk. The network can be, for example, a localarea network, a wide-area network, a virtual private network, theInternet, an intranet, an extranet, a public switched telephone network,an infrared network, a wireless network and any combination thereof.

In embodiments utilizing a Web server, the Web server can run any of avariety of server or mid-tier applications, including HTTP servers, FTPservers, CGI servers, data servers, Java servers and businessapplication servers. The server(s) may also be capable of executingprograms or scripts in response requests from user devices, such as byexecuting one or more Web applications that may be implemented as one ormore scripts or programs written in any programming language, such asJava®, C, C# or C++ or any scripting language, such as Perl, Python orTCL, as well as combinations thereof. The server(s) may also includedatabase servers, including without limitation those commerciallyavailable from Oracle®, Microsoft®, Sybase® and IBM®.

The environment can include a variety of data stores and other memoryand storage media as discussed above. These can reside in a variety oflocations, such as on a storage medium local to (and/or resident in) oneor more of the computers or remote from any or all of the computersacross the network. In a particular set of embodiments, the informationmay reside in a storage-area network (SAN) familiar to those skilled inthe art. Similarly, any necessary files for performing the functionsattributed to the computers, servers or other network devices may bestored locally and/or remotely, as appropriate. Where a system includescomputerized devices, each such device can include hardware elementsthat may be electrically coupled via a bus, the elements including, forexample, at least one central processing unit (CPU), at least one inputdevice (e.g., a mouse, keyboard, controller, touch-sensitive displayelement or keypad) and at least one output device (e.g., a displaydevice, printer or speaker). Such a system may also include one or morestorage devices, such as disk drives, optical storage devices andsolid-state storage devices such as random access memory (RAM) orread-only memory (ROM), as well as removable media devices, memorycards, flash cards, etc.

Such devices can also include a computer-readable storage media reader,a communications device (e.g., a modem, a network card (wireless orwired), an infrared communication device) and working memory asdescribed above. The computer-readable storage media reader can beconnected with, or configured to receive, a computer-readable storagemedium representing remote, local, fixed and/or removable storagedevices as well as storage media for temporarily and/or more permanentlycontaining, storing, transmitting and retrieving computer-readableinformation. The system and various devices also typically will includea number of software applications, modules, services or other elementslocated within at least one working memory device, including anoperating system and application programs such as a client applicationor Web browser. It should be appreciated that alternate embodiments mayhave numerous variations from that described above. For example,customized hardware might also be used and/or particular elements mightbe implemented in hardware, software (including portable software, suchas applets) or both. Further, connection to other computing devices suchas network input/output devices may be employed.

Storage media and computer readable media for containing code, orportions of code, can include any appropriate media known or used in theart, including storage media and communication media, such as but notlimited to volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable mediaimplemented in any method or technology for storage and/or transmissionof information such as computer readable instructions, data structures,program modules or other data, including RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memoryor other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disk (DVD) orother optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic diskstorage or other magnetic storage devices or any other medium which canbe used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by asystem device. Based on the disclosure and teachings provided herein, aperson of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate other ways and/ormethods to implement the various embodiments.

The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense. It will, however, beevident that various modifications and changes may be made thereuntowithout departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention asset forth in the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:generating, while a computing device is secured, a first notification ofan upcoming event, the first notification one of at least an audio toneor a vibration; determining motion information by using a motion sensor,the motion information representing at least one of rotation ortranslation of the computing device; determining from the motioninformation and while the computing device is secured, that thecomputing device has been picked up; while the computing device issecured and based at least on determination that the computing devicehas been picked up, causing the computing device to display a lockscreen; and while the computing device displays the lock screen:displaying a second notification of the upcoming event, receivingbiometric information representing a user, the biometric informationbased at least on image data, authenticating the user, based at least onthe biometric information, and displaying, as part of the lock screen,calendar information related to the upcoming event, wherein display ofthe lock screen provides scrolling for navigation to information relatedto at least one additional event.
 2. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 1, further comprising: displaying additional calendar informationon a home screen.
 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, furthercomprising: displaying a marker representing current time in conjunctionwith additional calendar information.
 4. The computer-implemented methodof claim 1, further comprising: displaying an icon representing acalendar widget related to additional calendar information.
 5. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving aswipe input; and scrolling additional calendar information.
 6. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: displaying ahome screen; receiving a swipe input oriented in a vertical direction;and scrolling the home screen.
 7. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 6, further comprising: scrolling a plurality of future calendarevents based at least on the swipe input.
 8. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 1, further comprising: displaying a plurality of futurecalendar events in time order.
 9. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 1, further comprising: generating the first notification of theupcoming event a predetermined time in advance of the upcoming event.10. A computing device, comprising: a speaker; a vibration generator; atouch screen display element; a motion sensor; at least one camera; atleast one processor; and memory, the memory including instructions that,when executed by the at least one processor, enable the computing deviceto: generate, while the computing device is secured, a firstnotification of an upcoming event, the first notification being one ofat least an audio tone generated by the speaker or a vibration generatedby the vibration generator; determine motion information by using themotion sensor, the motion information representing at least one ofrotation or translation of the computing device; determine from themotion information and while the computing device is secured, that thecomputing device has been picked up; while the computing device issecured and based at least on determination that the computing devicehas been picked up, cause the computing device to display a lock screen;and while the computing device displays the lock screen: display asecond notification of the upcoming event, receive biometric informationrepresenting a user, the biometric information based at least on imagedata generated by the at least one camera, authenticate the user, basedat least on the biometric information, and display, as part of the lockscreen, calendar information related to the upcoming event, whereindisplay of the lock screen provides scrolling for navigation toinformation related to at least one additional event.
 11. The computingdevice of claim 10, wherein the instructions when executed furtherenable the computing device to: display additional calendar informationon a home screen by the touch screen display element.
 12. The computingdevice of claim 10, wherein the instructions when executed furtherenable the computing device to: display a marker by the touch screendisplay element, the marker representing current time in conjunctionwith additional calendar information.
 13. The computing device of claim10, wherein the instructions when executed further enable the computingdevice to: display an icon by the touch screen display element, the iconrepresenting a calendar widget related to additional calendarinformation.
 14. The computing device of claim 10, wherein theinstructions when executed further enable the computing device to:display a home screen; receive a swipe input on the touch screen displayelement, the swipe input being in a vertical direction; and scroll thehome screen.
 15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein theinstructions when executed further enable the computing device to:scroll a plurality of future calendar events based at least on the swipeinput.
 16. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the instructionswhen executed further enable the computing device to: display aplurality of future calendar events in time order.
 17. The computingdevice of claim 10, wherein the instructions when executed furtherenable the computing device to: generate the first notification of theupcoming event a predetermined time in advance of the upcoming event.